Editor, Daily Nexus,

Sometimes ignorance is bliss. However, in C.K. Hickey’s case, he needs to get his story straight. Hickey wrote the column, “Explore California’s Northern Cities,” (Daily Nexus, Nov. 2). Being a Humboldt native, I am confused as to how it is that he considers himself an expert on Humboldt County as a whole after a short-lived, biased trip to a minute part of the county. He makes a comment on the lack of tourism in Humboldt, saying there is no reason to even visit this “depressing” place. I’m sorry. Not everyone wants to live in, or visit, for that matter, an overdeveloped, suburban village of yuppies where Starbucks and Wal-Mart thrive and countless people crowd the streets.

Did Hickey ever once consider the fact that Humboldt’s uniqueness lies in its untouched beauty, in the fact that it hasn’t been over-industrialized and overrun by people? His version of a “lonely, abandoned, unnoticed” place is my version of an escape from the confines of city life, where the air is fresh, where children can ride their bikes without parents worrying and where old-growth redwood trees are still standing – one of the only remaining places in the world with these trees.

As for Hickey’s comment on cultivating weed, he needs to reevaluate what he considers worthwhile. Maybe if he had looked into the subject matter a little further, he would realize that a large part of California’s water resources and dairy production come from Northern California, just as a limited example. So the next time Hickey decides to vacation, perhaps he should stick to five-star resorts where happiness is bought. In fact, let’s make sure he never leaves the country, as the culture shock would probably kill him. Yet, I don’t think Hickey needs to worry about planning a return trip to Humboldt any time soon as his ignorance and unappreciative attitude are not welcome.
CASSIE MCBRIDE